1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a previewing system and a method thereof. More specifically, a digital camera with a remote control that enables previewing and changing of a picture is disclosed. The remote control may be detachably connected to the digital camera, or it may be a separate device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Remote controlled cameras, both standard and digital, are well known and documented in the art. Consider, for example, a prior art camera with a remote control that is detachably connected to the body of the camera. This remote control can be used to control various operative functions of the camera, such as triggering the shutter, performing a bulb (manually timed) exposure, zooming, etc.
Once novelty items on high-end cameras, users have come to expect such remote controls on all but the least expensive of cameras. This is due to the fact that they offer considerably more flexibility than the standard timed shutter release of old. With a simple press of a button, the user can direct the camera to take a picture when the user is ready, rather than after a preset delay. Nevertheless, as convenient as these remote controls are, they all have the same drawback: because the user is not looking through the viewfinder lens of the camera, he or she has only a general idea of the composition of the picture when using the remote control. That is, the picture taking by the remote control has traditionally been a blind art. Consequently, many fine pictures are ruined because the user misjudges his or her position in the frame of the picture.
It is therefore a primary objective of this invention to provide a remote control for an image-capturing device, the remote control having a display that enables a user to see the image that will be captured by the image-capturing device.
The present invention, briefly summarized, discloses an image-capturing device with a remote control. The remote control is detachably fixed to the image-capturing device and comprises a display panel and a control panel. A user can detach the remote control from the image-capturing device and use the control panel of the remote control to remotely control functionality of the image-capturing device. Furthermore, with the display panel, the user can preview an image that the image-capturing device will capture.
In a second embodiment of the present invention, the remote control may be a separate device, such as a personal data assistant (PDA). A user can use a keypad on the remote control to control functionality of the image-capturing device. The image-capturing device will also send images to the remote control that the remote control can present on its display panel, enabling the user to preview an image that will be captured.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the display on the remote control enables a user to see exactly what picture he or she is taking, as well as immediately seeing the effects of changing characteristics of the picture, such as zoom, focus, aperture settings and so on. Additionally, the user of the present invention does not have to be in the picture when using the remote control. The user can use the remote control to remotely take pictures of other people or objects, such as wildlife.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.